VOLUME 51 ISSUE 12 ESTABLISHED IN 1968
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO WWW.THEUSDVISTA.COM
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Images courtesy of Kevin Nelson/The Vista, Taylor Cabalse/The Vista, Ivy Guild/The Vista, Sara Fleming, and Chandler Hubbard. Ivy Guild/The Vista
Grow a mo, save a bro: Phi Kap promotes men’s health By Taylor Cabalse EDITOR IN CHIEF
The month of November has passed and the men of USD have shaved away their month long grown mustaches and beards. Some of the men simply grow their facial beard of the saying, “No Shave November”; however, the men of USD’s Phi Delta chapter of Phi Kappa Theta fraternity has spent the month promoting the importance of it. USD’s Phi Kap, along with 50 other chapters, have partnered up with Movember. Movember is
Sexual assault at USD
came to USD I didn’t know much about No Shave November and I just thought it was something everyone said and guys did” senior and Phi Kap’s Vice President of External Affairs Alex Revelle said. “This is now my third
year participating in this philanthropy and every year I learn more about the importance of raising men’s awareness about this topic.” Since Nov. 7, Phi Kap has held fundraisers at local restaurants for USD students and members of the local community to participate in. The places chosen very close to campus making it easy for all USD students to be part of. With the contribution of proceeds from these off-campus events as well was the money raised through goal for this year was to raise $7,000. Members of the fraternity have their philanthropy and understand how
it could affect those who are close to them. “Cancer is very personal. There are many members of Phi Kap and the USD community whose father, brother, cousin or friend have been affected by prostate cancer or other men’s health problems” Revelle said. “By giving to Movember, we are making a difference in these people’s lives. We are raising money for further research and raising awareness about these men’s health. We’re doing it for our fathers, our brothers, our cousins and our friends.” The last event took place on Dec. 5, and they have not had the opportunity to calculate their proceeds from the four off-campus events. From the donations raised only through the Movember
website, USD’s Phi Kap has raised $1, 300 which puts them in second on the team leader-board behind San Diego State University’s Phi Kap chapter who collectively raised an additional $300. Revelle is proud to see how far joined and the awareness they have spread through their campaign at USD, “it has allowed us to strengthen our brotherhood while raising money and awareness about men’s health. After my third year supporting Movember, I am proud of my chapter and myself for the contributions we have made to promoting such an important cause.”
Turning personal tragedy into opportunity Student Mike Girard continues life adventures By Jackson Somes NEWS EDITOR
It was three years ago when Girard boarded a train in Washington DC and travelled across the country to begin a new adventure in San Diego. Girard is
By Kendall Tich
OPINION EDITOR
As part of an initiative to combat sexual assault at USD, the university launched the CARE hotline last year to report incidents involving its students. While this resource has proven to encourage students to come forward about sexual assaults or sexual exploitations, there are still others that go unreported. This can likely be attributed to a lack of proper education and awareness, which leads to an uncomfortable atmosphere in terms of discussing this issue. The only way to prevent future occurrences is by acknowledging its existence on our campus.
See OPINION page 13
a global charity that engages in a campaign that promotes an everlasting impact on men’s health. According to Movember’s website, their goal is to provide men living with prostate or testicular cancer with the care needed to be physically and mentally well. By being part of Phi Kap, the philanthropy is something the men have become passionate about and have enjoyed being part of since they
fresh start in a transcontinental journey, but it is not the distance travelled, the starting location, or the destination that makes Girard’s journey a unique and inspiring story. Girard was the victim of a near fatal hit-and-run 13 years ago. The incident crushed his lower body, damaged his brain and left him blind. blind that I was not going to be able to walk,” Girard said. As anybody can currently observe, by watching him walk from class to class or in and out of Aromas, Girard has clearly proven this prediction wrong. Before coming to San Diego, Girard was no stranger to travel. His father worked in the Air Force and his mother worked with diplomats. The nature of his parent’s occupations meant that Girard was constantly traveling throughout his childhood. Before Girard reached the age of 13 he had seen more of the world than most people will see in their lifetime. He spent his childhood everywhere from Louisiana and Boston to many parts of Europe as well. According to Girard, the constant travels of his youth prepared him to be able to adapt to any new situation. “Which came in handy both when an accident made me disabled and last year when I was still managing some tricky health items,” Girard said.
NEWS 2-4
USD campus to be tobacco free Students come together for a discussion on creating a no tobacco policy on USD’s campus.
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Out of high school, Girard worked a number of jobs. He spent time in the fashion industry as a reporter, model and designer. He also worked as a senator’s aid in Washington DC. Girard was even granted a scholarship for a design school in New York. “It was I worked for politicians. That was the most fun because I felt I was making a difference,” Girard said. Any grand plan Girard had developed at this point was suddenly derailed by the hit-and-run incident that forever altered his life. As he ever walk again, Girard refused to let this incident limit him. “They told me I wasn’t going to be able to do things any more because I can’t see,” Girard said. His response to this statement was a simple “Why?” After a period of recuperation, Girard was working with politicians back in Washington DC as a lobbyist for people with disabilities. One of his accomplishments of this time was the implementation of talking voting booths. These booths allow for people with blindness to be able to vote. Unfortunately, Girard was unable to stay in Washington DC. “I had damp weather,” Girard said. When the weather is cold or damp, Girard’s body is unable to function due to the damage sustained from the hit-andrun incident. As an example, Girard recalled a particularly recent rainy day. because if the weather is extremely damp or cold my brain and my body cannot process it,” he said. “I deal with
FEATURE 8-11
Adults ask the darndest questions
Dream chasing never looked so good USD sophomore Nathan gives a look at his newly launched watch company, Yes Man Watches.
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a traumatic brain injury; I deal with traumatic spinal cord problems so my nervous system is not its best,” Girard added with a slight chuckle at the end. In order to escape the clutches of the cold and damp weather of the east coast, Girard uprooted himself and moved out to San Diego. After taking some time to get settled in the new area, he chose to attend USD for many of the same reasons other students chose this university. The small size of USD and
SPORTS 14-16
Volleyball on the road to greatness
Students weigh in on the nagging questions that Womens volleyball defeats UCSB their family members always seem to be asking and University of Arisona to advance them. to the Sweet 16 PAGES 10-11 PAGE 14 OPINION 12-13
ARTS AND CULTURE 5-7
Jackson Somes / The Vista
Girard is able to use a computer through a text-to-audio program
Sleep away your stress and sadness Recent studies show a direct correlation between insomnia and depression. By getting more sleep each night, you may decrease your stress and sadness. PAGE 12
the personal feel of the campus is what appealed to Girard. Currently, he is a junior pursuing a degree in sociology. From his early experiences as a student at USD, Girard was welcomed most prominently by students involved the university I was received fairly well
See GIRARD, page 3